Star Wars: Luke Goes Dark in New Cover For The Last Jedi

Luke Skywalker dons a darker robe instead of his usual light neutral ones in a new magazine cover promoting Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. Star Wars fans have now had their beloved franchise back in the business of making films since 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, but they’ve yet to see Mark Hamill back full-time in his iconic role in the storied space opera saga. Save for a final shot that showed him silently gazing at newbie Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she hands him his father’s original lightsaber, Luke was offscreen and referenced by others only for the duration of The Force Awakens‘ runtime.

This, of course, will change with The Last Jedi. Rian Johnson’s film will focus heavily on Luke, his life’s journey and discoveries since we last saw him in Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, revealing more about exactly what drove him to live in self-imposed exile on the Planet Ach-To. Fans were baffled when Luke declared that the Jedi must end in the first trailer for The Last Jedi, further perpetuating theories about Luke having gone to the dark side. This new magazine cover doesn’t necessarily dispel that theory, either.

Hamill as Luke is featured on the cover of the Hungarian magazine Mozimánia, which has now made its way online thanks to Twitter (see below). In the image, the Jedi Master sports an all-black ensemble consisting of a robe and a cape, while he himself is bathed in red light. The aesthetic brings to mind Dark Force users like Luke’s own father Darth Vader and Luke’s nephew/former padawan, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). It is definitely weird seeing Luke dressed in something other than the Jedi’s signature neutral-tone robes.

It is important to note that this is not the first time Luke has donned black garb. He wore a black matching set in Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, only to formally reject the Dark Side of the Force by the end of the film. Whether something similar happens in The Last Jedi remains to be seen, of course. Hamill, himself, has admitted that he had a hard time coming to terms with the character trajectory that Johnson has given Luke – but in the end, he conceded to the story, which makes us believe that he is going through some things entirely new to the Star Wars mythos.

At this point, Luke walking away from everything that he has gone through only to eventually fall to the Dark Side seems anticlimactic. It undermines all his earlier sacrifices to make sure that he stays on the rightful path for a Jedi. If anything, all the talk regarding the balance in the force in conjunction with the concept of the gray Jedi, seems to be more feasible at this point.

On top of the long-awaited return of Luke to the thick of things, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jediis also hotly anticipated because it will feature Carrie Fisher’s last go-round as Leia Skywalker/Organa, following her tragic death late last year. Here is to hoping that the film gives fans the Skywalker twins reunion that they are clamoring for.